30 Months Old

You turned 30 months old on the 27^th December 2013, and in this month alone it saw you go through so many transitions. Life seemed to speed up that little bit more, if that is even possible? and you continued to blossom right before my eyes.

At 2 and a half years old you were modelling the world in your own special way, and your world was growing all of the time. You spent Christmas with everyone who loves you and for the first time, joined in with gift opening and the magic of the whole day.

The NewYear saw you starting nursery and being thrown into a whole new ball game. You were so excited at the prospect of attending big boy school and we all knew that we were going to start seeing a really big change in you over the coming months.

Your first session went really well and if you had it your way I think you would love to go more than just once a week. Waking up this morning I told you it was time to go to Granny’s and your reply was simple and precise ‘No! School!’.

You were saying more to me all the time, and despite everything that had been said atyour 2 and a half year check. I could see you coming along at your own pace. You were learning new words and starting to put more together. Your understanding has always been impeccable but as you continued to learn, it was all coming on in leaps and bounds.

It was in January that we decided to take the side on your cot down and turn it into the cot bed. The first 3 nights you slept in it as though there had been no change at all, but on the fourth night you took your first tumble (and so far only tumble) out of your big boy bed. I heard the bang and then your cries of ‘Mumma! Bed!’ and ran in to pick you up, and of course tuck you back in again.

I was so impressed with how you handled the change to your sleeping arrangements, and we only decided that now was time to make the switch because you were suddenly trying to climb out of your cot. I worried that you may fall and hurt yourself, so the decision was made to say goodbye to your cot sleeping days.

You have been so pleased with yourself over your climbing escapades, and you giggle whenever we talk about you cheekily climbing out of the travel cot at Granny’s house. In fact you beam with pride!

Having you sleeping in a bed these days instead of the cot that you have always been in is strange. Although I have known for the longest time that you are not a baby any more, making this transition has made you seem even more grown up.

You have taken to your bed so well and once I put you to bed that is where you stay. It was only on that very first night that you got up and out of bed once, now you only get out in the morning, and even then it is very rarely. You would much rather me come in and get you for a cuddle.

I feel very privileged to have such a well behaved little man, granted you have your moments but for the most part you are such a star. I did wonder if you would play up when we finally moved you into a bed, but you have been absolutely amazing. I can simply tuck you in at night and know that you will go off to sleep. You wont turn into a little monster and get up to play in your room or even attempt to run around the house. You know that when you go to bed, you go to sleep.

I guess it is the fact you are now sleeping in a bed and starting nursery that makes me really question where my baby has gone. They are 2 really big milestones within a very short space of time…But I can’t help thinking how you are more than ready for a new challenge.

We began to give you more freedom and in a sense more responsibility. I guess you could even say we were more trusting? Instead of your beaker we were giving you your big boy juice in a cup with no lid. You were doing so well with it and had very few spillages, and you just enjoyed being like Mummy and Daddy. You would now ask for your ‘big boy juice’ over anything else…Even over a bottle of milk!

This was another big transition that we began to introduce to you. Milk and blanket had been removed from the day to day routine and were now more or less for bedtimes and naptimes only. You asked for them both on occasion but I told you that if you wanted them, you would have to go for your naptime in bed. Cheekily you went upstairs telling me you wanted to go to bed.. Only to drink your milk and come back down stairs again! But I figured that you were still gaining an understanding of when you could have your two favourite items.

We were even venturing out without your blanket AND without your milk bottle! I was really pleased with how well you were taking this change as I expected more resistance when the time came. We were taking it day by day just to see what tomorrow might bring, but so far we were doing really well.

You were now even beginning to show an interest in your potty. For the longest time you have point blank refused to have anything to do with it. We have left you to it as we didn’t want to force you into anything that you simply were not ready for. All of a sudden one night you just sat on it. I don’t know what changed for you? But something must have as you even sat on it the right way around! Right now there has been no potty action in terms of any pee’s or poo’s… But we are getting there and I know that when you are ready they will happen.

Right now we are just so pleased with everything else you are doing, the rest will come in time.

You have achieved so much in the last month.

My little but grown up gorgeous boy.

I wonder what the next month will hold for you?

Only time will tell…

Leo's Off to Nursury

Leo always has been an independent little guy,

Pursuing everything in his own time and always reaching 

the milestone when he is ready.

Since Leo’s 2 and a half year check I have been looking into options and ways that I can socialise him a little bit more. One of the ideas that we discussed with the health visitor was the possibility of sending Leo to nursery. I liked the idea of this as nursery is an environment that would be completely new to Leo, lots of children, teachers and somewhere that Mummy wouldn’t be following him. A scenario that see’s Leo being even more independent than ever before, having to make himself understood to a wider audience…and not just Mummy.

Last Thursday I took one very excited Leo to view the nursery that we were considering. The short car ride to the village school that I used to attend as a child saw Leo’s excitement building. He was throwing his hands above his head and shouting ‘School! Yeah!’ as we went, and I couldn’t help but smile at just how excited Leo was about it all.

Pulling up into the car park Leo was eager to get out, he even insisted on wearing his Thomas ruck sack. He knows that big kids take a bag with them to school so he wanted to be just like them.

Putting Leo’s empty ruck sack onto his back, he held my hand as we walked into the school. We signed in and were escorted around the school that was still so very familiar to me. The nursery is situated in the very heart of the school on the field, right by the playground that all of the big kids play in. Being so integrated with the school (the school that Leo will one day attend) they get so much space to use.

On the front of the nursery is a board with all of the children’s names on, in the morning when the children arrive they have to pick their names (or if they can’t read find their sticker on their name) and take it inside to put on their coat hook, where they will then hang all of their belongings. We were lead into the nursery and that is when Leo simply let go of my hand and went straight off to play. No hesitation what so ever, he just let go and walked off to play. As I was talking with the nursery teacher, he hung his head out of the play kitchen window waving and shouting ‘Mumma!’.

With Leo playing so contently it gave me a great opportunity to hear all about the things Leo would be getting up to if he did get a place at this nursery. We both already loved it so I was really hoping that a space would come up sooner rather than later.

Inside the nursery there is a arts and craft section that has everything you could possibly imagine! It is open to the children throughout the day for them to go in and create whatever their heart desires! There’s a playhouse full of everything Leo loves and I know that he will be making everyone countless imaginary cups of tea! There’s a book corner and a quiet corner and oh so many toys.

Outside they have a mud kitchen where they can create endless muddy delights, of course this requires full forest school gear! There’s a play house, balance bikes and so much more.

The staff structure the day and keep note of everything that the children do. Leo will have a folder that holds all of his milestones and achievements with photos of him achieving them. It will allow me to see exactly what he gets up to while he is at nursery and to also keep for him when he is older.

What I was really impressed with was that the nursery are now required to carry out their own 2 and a half year check assessment. This will be done before Leo turns 3, and in an environment that is much better suited to making these observations. They will be able to see first-hand how Leo socialises and conducts himself, and I feel so much better knowing that they will KNOW him and exactly what he is and isn’t capable of.

Leo absolutely loved his visit to nursery, and he was instantly at ease and playing happily. It was getting him to leave and come home with me that was the issue! He really did not want to come back home with me at all, he was absolutely loving the nursery.

Thankfully a little later on Thursday afternoon… I got a call to say that Leo had a place at nursery and he can start as early as next Monday! So now I simply need to pop back in this week and get him all registered ready to start next Monday.

Leo will be going once a week for the morning session and from September I will be looking to put him in for longer.

I know that I am going to start to see a real change in him, and I know that he is going to absolutely love being such a big boy.